什麼是喀麥隆

法語作Cameroun

正式名稱喀麥隆共和國（Republic of Cameroon）

西非共和國。面積475,501平方公里。人口約15,803,000（2001）。首都︰雅溫得。境內有兩百多個不同種族，包括芳人（佔總人口1/5）、巴米累克人（佔1/5）、杜亞拉人、富拉尼人及其他小部族群。俾格米人（當地稱為巴傑利人和巴賓加人）居住在南部森林中。語言：法語和英語（官方語），以及各種方言。宗教：本土宗教、基督教和伊斯蘭教（在北部佔優勢）。貨幣︰非洲金融共同體法郎（CFAF）。喀麥隆有四個地理區。南部區包括沿海平原和森林茂密的高原。中部區向北逐漸升高，包括阿達馬瓦高原。北部區為稀樹草原，地勢向查德湖盆地傾斜。西部和北部沿奈及利亞邊界一帶的地勢起伏多山，包括喀麥隆火山。主要河流中，薩納加河流入大西洋，貝努埃河則向西流入奈及利亞境內的尼日河流域。喀麥隆經濟為開發中的市場經濟，主要以農業為基礎。政府形式是共和國，一院制。國家元首是總統，政府首腦為總理。

歐洲人殖民之前，長期有人類居住。講班圖語部族從赤道非洲進入此地，定居在南方。其後穆斯林富拉尼人自尼日河流域遷入，定居北部。15世紀後期，葡萄牙探險家初探此地，並建立據點。17世紀，葡萄牙失去控制，由荷蘭人起而代之。1884年，德國取得控制，將其保護領地擴充套件到喀麥隆。第一次世界大戰期間，法、英兩國軍隊聯合行動，迫使德國人撤退。戰後，喀麥隆被畫分為法屬和英屬兩個行政區。第二次世界大戰後，兩地改由聯合國託管。1960年法國託管地成為獨立共和國，1961年，英國託管領地的南部投票通過與新成立的喀麥隆聯邦共和國合併，北部則與奈及利亞聯合。近年來，經濟問題造成境內不安。

Cameroon

officiallyRepublic of CameroonRepublic, West Africa. Area: 183,591 sq mi (475,501 sq km). Population (1997 est.): 14,678,000. Capital: Yaoundé. The country has more than 200 different ethnic groups, including the Fang (one-fifth of the population), Bamileke (one-fifth), Duala, Fulani, and other smaller groups. Pygmies (locally known as Baguielli and Babinga) live in the southern forests. Languages: French and English (official), local languages. Religions: indigenous religions, Christianity, Islam (predominant in the north). Currency: CFA franc. Cameroon has four geographic regions. The southern area consists of coastal plains and a densely forested plateau. The central region rises progressively to the north and includes the Adamawa Plateau. In the north a savanna plain slopes downward toward the Lake Chad basin. To the west and north along the Nigerian border the relief is mountainous, and includes Mount Cameroon. Of the main rivers, the Sanaga drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and the Benue flows westward into the Niger River basin in Nigeria. Cameroon has a developing market economy based largely on agriculture. It is a republic with one legislative house; its head of state is the president and its head of government, the prime minister. Long inhabited before European colonization, it had Bantu language speakers coming from equatorial Africa to settle in the south. They were followed by Muslim Fulani from the Niger River basin, who settled in the north. Portuguese explorers visited in the late 15th century and established a foothold, but they lost control to the Dutch in the 17th century. In 1884 the Germans took control and extended their protectorate over Cameroon. In World War I joint French-British action forced the Germans to retreat, and after the war the region was divided into French and British administrative zones. After World War II the two areas became UN trusteeships. In 1960 the French trust territory became an independent republic. In 1961 the southern part of the British trust territory voted for union with the new republic of Cameroon, and the northern part for union with Nigeria. In recent decades economic problems have produced unrest in the country.